This course will examine strategic decision making of entrepreneurial firms operating in the global environment.  This approach recognizes that increasingly firm resources such as financing, materials and labor are available globally to even small firms, while at the same time technology and specifically the internet have opened up the world market place to local firms.

We will also look at the role of supranational organizations which shape the environment of the firm.  We will use case studies of real firms to examine and contrast common financing and growth issues facing small developing firms around the world, recognizing that the institutional environment surrounding the firm between countries is often different and that international organizations also impact firm behavior. The class will employ cases from the Harvard Business School Case Studies series and will encourage active student participation in the classroom.  Students will have an opportunity to present their analysis of firm case study issues based on their own analysis and group work.

1. To help students develop an understanding of what constitutes an optimal local context for financing entrepreneurship. 

2. To help students develop a comparative understanding of local contexts and the role of supranational organizations in firm behavior.

3. To improve student analytic skills related to the  financing, valuation and understanding of the entrepreneurial context across countries. 

4. To help students develop an understanding of the nature and benefits of an international expansion strategy. 

Attendence is required for 80% of class hours. Generally I do not give make-up presentations. In the case of a verifiable emergency I may on a case by case basis accommodate by allowing a change in the scheduled date for a presentation.  Generally, failure to attend an exam or presentation or to prepare your homework is NOT accepted unless the emergency is verifiable per University policy.  If the emergency warrants an exception to this policy, I will then determine how much to discount the score on the assignment. 50% discount per day is normal. You may miss 1 class without it negatively effecting your grade.

Academic Honesty

 Any act of dishonesty will drop your course grade one full letter.  Examples of dishonesty include:

-Copying during an exam or quiz or on homework.

-Copying from articles, books, or the internet without referencing the source.

-Not contributing to group work (as expected by other team members).

-Doing homework for other students.

-Turning in homework you did not do yourself.

Class will meet for four block sessions which may include some combination of lectures, discussion of assigned case studies, individual student reports or group work on case study problems:

Everyone is expected to read cases in advance in order to facilitate classroom discussions & problem solving. Late course work will not be accepted or graded.  We will plan on 3-5 case study per meeting, and the syllabus may be revised to accommodate guest speakers or new cases beyond the syllabus.  

Grades will reflect student preparation, participation and performance.  Students should be prepared to share their thoughts on the cases.  Homework consists of a 1 page case outline of each of the assigned cases to be delivered to Dr. Elston on the day the case study is discussed in class.  

The case outline and class participation will account for of (20%) of the final grade, performance on the in-class case presentation of a case study will count for (30%) and final research paper (50%) of the final grade.   

“Class participation” includes participation in class discussions and hands-on projects.  The case presentation should be about 20-30 minutes per student, or 45-60 minutes for 2-3 students in a group total should include: 1) a set of handouts to aid students for following your presentation and any materials or slides you need to communicate your points to the audience.  The final research paper should be your own summary, discussion of the issues, and analysis of what the company should do.  It should be 7-10 pages double-spaced excluding appendices and references.  To be fair, papers done by 2 or 3 person groups must have great depth and quality than single authored papers.  Topics or cases are subject to prior approval from professor and are allocated on a first come first serve basis if more than one student chooses the same case.

All research papers are due on or before April 15^th at 12:00 noon) without exception.  Papers must be turned in via email (Julie.elston@osucascades.edu ) as a MSWord attachment

SBWL Entrepreneurship und Innovation and Incoming Students